In one week, the Supercommittee will reach its deadline to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal budget.

The plans they have discussed all reach directly into the pockets of the 99%, taking hundreds of billions of dollars from vital programs we all depend on: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

We need you to speak up now. Call your Senator at 1-866-251-4044 TODAY and tell them: •I want the Supercommittee to stand with the 99%, not the 1%. •That means opposing any and all cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in the Supercommittee—including opposing the Social Security COLA cut. •Congress needs to stop protecting tax breaks for Wall Street, millionaires and billionaires. •A bad deal is far worse than no deal.

The cut proposed to Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)—which they call “a Chained CPI”—is nothing more than a yearly cut in earned benefits. It breaks the promise to not cut benefits for people currently receiving Social Security. Over the next ten years, it would take $112 billion right out of the pockets of those relying on Social Security. And the devastating cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in both plans are a matter of life and death for millions of Americans.

These cuts would represent a hijacking of the Supercommittee by the 1%. It is time for the 99% to tell them in no uncertain terms, Hands Off Our Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Phelan Strengthen Social Security Campaign Social Security Works

Paid for and Authorized by Social Security Works

Down to the Wire: Call Congress Toll-Free to Protect Critical Safety Net Programs in the "Super Committee":

It's Crunch Time -- and Your Voice is Needed to Help Protect America's Most Vulnerable Children and Families from Budget Cuts

One in five children live in poverty in the US, and Congress might make it worse. The next 48 hours are critical, since the "Super Committee" charged with reaching a deficit deal will need to produce details by the end of the week -- tell your senators that any deficit deal must protect Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, and increase revenue.

TAKE ACTION: Call using this toll-free number (888-907-1485), then follow the instructions and you'll be connected to your senators (or plug in your zip code on the right to call directly). Use or tailor this message:

Hi, my name is _____________ and I am constituent from _________________. Please tell the Deficit Reduction Committee: Reject plans that cut essential services for low-income people and insist on substantial increased revenues from high-income people and corporations. They should create jobs and make savings from reducing wasteful spending in the military and elsewhere.

*Thanks to AFSCME for the use of the toll-free number. Please call twice, so you can reach both senators in your state.

BACKGROUND-- Here's why you should call: A special Congressional committee (known as the "Super Committee") is working on a plan to reduce the federal deficit. Essential programs for low-income and vulnerable people are threatened with cuts: Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program), the Earned Income Tax Credit, and others. Cutting these programs will make things worse, not better. People will be hurt; more jobs will be lost. We need a plan that puts us on the right track by investing in jobs, protecting low-income people, sharing the burden by asking top-income households and profitable corporations to contribute more revenues, and seeking savings from reducing waste in the military and elsewhere. We need to tell Congress that only a balanced approach to deficit reduction that protects America’s most vulnerable people is acceptable. Make your voice heard now in this important debate.

** If you are unable to call, you can send e-mails to Congress through our website.

Of course, you can amplify your message by sending a letter to the editor to your local paper telling them to get their priorities straight by creating a balanced deficit reduction plan that protects services for low-income families and creates jobs See our recent blog post with many of the great new resources and tools to help advocates influence deficit reduction talks.

** For more information about RESULTS and how you can make a difference, including our work in communities across the country to create the political will to end poverty, please visit our website:

UPDATE on ADAPT Super Committee Action Alert: So far, 48 folks have responded to the email alert. Even so, Senator Portman's office just called and asked that we STOP emailing them because the emails are "disruptive". I pointed out that people were emailing because cuts to Medicaid would be "disruptive" to people's lives. I asked if the Senator would oppose arbitrary cuts to Medicaid and agree to end the costly institutional bias. He said he would get an answer for us.

48 folks got their attention.

Now let's drive the point home.

If you haven't done the alert, please do the alert now and urge others to do the same.

The Congressional super committee continues to meet in their efforts to find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. Its members must come up with a final plan by next Wednesday, November 23rd. Although it is unclear what will happen, Medicaid continues to be at risk of serious cuts.

Here are THREE THINGS you can do this week to make our voice heard.

1. SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!

It may take a few minutes, but letters to the editor are read by folks in Congress and opinion leaders, so write a letter to the editor. (Thanks to Jerry Costley of Utah ADAPT and the ADAPT Media Committee for developing this sample letter.)

Sample Letter to the Editor:

Given that federal and state governments are eying Medicaid cuts as a means of balancing budgets I am writing to inform everyone that my Medicaid matters and to set the record straight regarding some critical points.

First, Medicaid is vital for the survival of many individuals with disabilities. Many of us don't have access to other insurance and most insurance companies won't pay for the extensive needs many of us have.

Second, state block grants will be disastrous as the federal government limits state matching funds. In return, states are being offered the "freedom" to restrict eligibility and eliminate vital services, threatening our lives and freedom. Some so-called optional services are vital to our survival and can't be cut without disastrous consequences.

Third, Medicaid can be reformed in ways that will better meet our needs--eliminate expensive nursing home care as the sole entitlement and require states to offer community supports. Even traditionally conservative publications such as Forbes have recognized that providing the home-based services we want is usually costs one-half to one-third as much as nursing facility placement. Medicaid needs to be reformed, but to do it right, our leaders need to listen to those whose lives depend on it.

2. SEND A MESSAGE TO THE SUPER COMMITTEE!

The Super Committee is hearing from lobbyists. They need to hear directly from YOU. In less than five minutes, you can send a personalized message to every member of the super committee. Use these two links. One link sends a message to the Senators on the super committee; the other to the representatives.

Several organizations have inquired about whether or not non-NDLA organizations can sign on. Our intent is that they can - we want as broad a scope of organizations concerned about this issue as possible. I've edited the letter's first paragraph to reflect that the letter is from NDLA and allied organizations - please feel free to pass this along to other coalitions who might find it of interest. Thanks!

On behalf of the National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) and a wide variety of allied organizations supporting the mission and goals of the disability rights movement, we write to urge you to issue a Final Rule clarifying that Home and Community Based Services must not be on the grounds of an institution, segregated on the basis of diagnosis or disability, or have the characteristics of an institution. The National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) is a coalition of 14 leading national disability organizations led by individuals living with disabilities themselves and supported by grassroots constituencies living with disabilities in all states and the District of Columbia. The Alliance prides itself on serving as a leading voice for those with disabilities and actively supporting the expansion and quality of the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program. It is in this spirit that we and our allies contact you to urge you to move swiftly to issue a Final Rule in line with CMS' stated policy positions and the clear intent of the Medicaid HCBS program.

In April of this year, CMS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (CMS-2296-P) clarifying the types of settings for which Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver funding could be utilized. The proposed regulation would have clarified that a HCBS setting "must be integrated in the community; must not be located in a building that is also a publicly or privately operated facility that provides institutional treatment or custodial care; must not be located in a building on the grounds of, or immediately adjacent to, a public institution; or, must not be a housing complex designed expressly around an individual's diagnosis or disability, as determined by the Secretary...[and] must not have qualities of an institution, as determined by the Secretary. Such qualities may include regimented meal and sleep times, limitations on visitors, lack of privacy and other attributes that limit individual's ability to engage freely in the community[1]."

We are writing to reiterate our full and complete support for CMS's strong and robust proposed definition of Home and Community Based Services outlined in CMS-2296-P, and to urge you to issue a Final Rule consistent with the language laid out in your April NPRM. The integrity of the HCBS program is essential to protecting the rights of hundreds of thousands of Americans with disabilities who receive HCBS. Twenty-one years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and twelve years after the Supreme Court's Olmstead v. L.C. decision, it is imperative that CMS define what can and cannot be funded utilizing HCBS waiver dollars in specific and measurable terminology. Failure to do so would undercut efforts now being undertaken by both federal and state governments as well as advocates across the country to transition people with disabilities out of institutions and into the community in accordance with current law. Without a clear and sufficiently narrow definition of HCBS that delineates it from institutional settings, the effectiveness of de-institutionalization efforts could be seriously hindered, leaving the door open to subjective interpretations by policymakers and the likelihood of wide-ranging and inconsistent applications of the rules. As such, we urge you to move swiftly to issue a Final Rule consistent with your April NPRM, defining appropriate and inappropriate usage of HCBS waiver dollars.

Community Integration and Buildings on the Grounds of or Immediately Adjacent to Institutions Last year, CMS rejected a request for amendment to the State of Missouri's 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services waiver for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, on the grounds that Missouri was seeking to utilize HCBS funding to set up a segregated setting consisting of a cluster of group homes on the grounds of a large state-operated institution. To quote from your August 2nd, 2010 letter to the Director of the Missouri Department of Social Services, "42 CFR 441.300 permits states to offer HCBS that individuals need in order to avoid institutionalization. However, Missouri proposes to add capacity through this waiver amendment to serve individuals living on the grounds of an institution which provides inpatient institutional treatment, a setting which is segregated from and with restricted access to the larger community. Under the proposed amendment, Missouri would not provide services that permit individuals to avoid institutionalization, but would serve individuals in an institutional setting."

We believe that your interpretation of the incompatibility between Missouri's actions and the function of the HCBS program was accurate and correct. As such, it is imperative that CMS issue a Final Rule that matches this earlier interpretation and upholds the idea that the purpose of the HCBS program is to fund alternatives to institutionalization, rather than providers which operate in the same fashion and location as an institutional setting. The proposed language in the aforementioned NPRM would provide necessary advance guidance to states to prevent the misuse of the HCBS program and ensure that CMS would not be forced into the position of having to make ad hoc judgments on the legitimacy of each state's proposed use of HCBS waiver funding.

Housing Complexes Designed Expressly Around Diagnosis or Disability Historically, the definition of an institution has been a setting which segregates individuals with disabilities from those without disabilities and which places upon individuals with disabilities rules and restrictions which are not applied to the non-disabled population. The section of the NPRM which proposed prohibiting the use of HCBS funds for "housing complex[es] designed expressly around an individual's diagnosis or disability" represents a critical component of maintaining the quality of the HCBS program, and we urge CMS to retain it in its Final Rule.

Research has proven that individuals being served in congregate care settings experience less choice and autonomy in day to day life than those who are living in smaller environments, even after controlling for severity of impairment[2]. The defining characteristic of community-based services has long been enhancing choice and control over ones' own life. In the April NPRM, CMS acknowledged this by expressing concern over, ", segregated from the larger community, and do not allow individuals to choose whether or with whom they share a room, limit individuals' freedom of choice on daily living experiences such as meals, visitors, activities, and limit individuals' opportunities to pursue community activities[3]."

Some have raised concerns that this proposed rule would prohibit the use of HCBS funds for individuals living in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program. While we understand this concern, we believe that it is possible to address it without weakening the broader regulation or removing this critical safeguard against the use of HCBS funds for segregated settings. It is perfectly feasible for CMS to clarify language within its Final Rule to ensure that individuals living in Section 811 housing can still qualify for HCBS waiver services, provided that the housing is effectively and comprehensively integrated into the broader scope of community life and does not possess the characteristics of an institution, as defined by the April NPRM.

Characteristics of an Institution For the non-disabled population, the definition of home is not difficult to determine. No reasonable observer would claim that any non-incarcerated adult without a disability should be told when to eat and sleep or who they can allow to visit while living in their own home. These types of restrictions are the very definition of an institutional setting, in that they center power and decision-making authority with those providing services rather than with the individual being served. Yet, as efforts to ensure that states meet their requirements under the Olmstead decision have grown, many service-providers have attempted to claim that settings which did not meet these minimal requirements should be eligible to receive Medicaid HCBS funds.

According to the 2010 Keeping the Promise: Self-Advocates Defining the Meaning of Community Living report from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered and the National Youth Leadership Network, an effective definition of community must be multi-dimensional in nature, incorporating factors such as physical size and structure, rights and self-determination, qualities and attitudes of providers, access to community life, and the meeting of support and access needs. Including the NPRM's language in the Final Rule requiring that HCBS settings must not have the characteristics of an institution will help operationalize a multi-dimensional definition of community. We urge you to retain this language in the Final Rule and to consider expanding it to include other characteristics of institutional settings, such as the right of an individual receiving service-provision to choose with whom they live, what activities they engage in and who to hire and fire amongst their support staff.

We urge you to move swiftly to issue a Final Rule reflecting the priorities outlined in your April NPRM and this letter. In addition, we would be glad to provide any assistance necessary to help clarify the language of the NPRM or to address concerns raised by other stakeholders. Clarifying the specific characteristics of community-based living versus institutional settings will promote meaningful community inclusion and lead to better outcomes for those individuals receiving HCBS. These regulations will also assist states in meeting their obligations under Olmstead v. L.C. and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ari Ne'eman, President of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network at aneeman@autisticadvocacy.org.

Thank you for your time and we appreciate your commitment to the rights and equality of people with disabilities.

Sincerely,

NDLA Steering Committee Organizations ADAPT

Etc..

Fwd: Notice of upcoming Center for Personal Assistance Services on Trends in Medicaid home and community based programs and policies: Sent from my iPhone, Begin forwarded message:

> From: Lewis Kraus > Date: November 8, 2011 1:34:41 PM EST > To: PAS_NEWS@LISTSRV.UCSF.EDU> Subject: Notice of upcoming Center for Personal Assistance Services on Trends in Medicaid home and community based programs and policies > Reply-To: Lewis Kraus > > Dear Colleague, > > Please join the National Research and Training Center for Personal Assistance Services (PAS Center) on Tuesday, November 28, 2011, for a free webinar entitled Trends in Medicaid home and community based programs and policies. The webinar will draw from a unique national dataset to present the latest trends in participants, expenditures and policies for the three Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) programs.

> While data for 2008 show a steady increase in participants and expenditures, these growth rates have slowed since 2004. Inequities in access to services and limited funds have also resulted in unmet needs for HCBS. Findings from the survey of policies in 2010 show that states are increasing the number of waiting lists for waiver services even though the number of available bslotsb have increased. Cost caps such as service and cost limits are also used in almost half the state programs.

> From this session participants will be able to: (1) identify trends in Medicaid HCBS participants, expenditures and policies, (2) understand state responses to unmet needs and fiscal crisis in terms of Medicaid program trends and policy, and (3) consider the potential impact on access to Medicaid HCBS through state policies. > > The 60-minute webinar will begin at 2.00pm Eastern; 1:00pm Central; noon Mountain; 11:00am Pacific; 10:00am Alaska and 8:00am Hawaii.

> There is no fee and no pre-registration for this webinar, which is open to everyone. An archive of this webinar will be available at a later date.

> The audio of the conference can also be accessed by phone at 1-800-625-5918, passcode 7023043. > > About the Presenter > > Charlene Harrington, Ph.D., RN, is Professor Emerita of Sociology, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF. Dr. Harrington is the PI for the PAS Center. One of the leading experts on PAS and HCBS, Dr. Harrington has guided numerous research studies on state long term care (LTC) policies and program characteristics since 1980. She has also conducted a large study of PAS and HCBS waivers in the states for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 1998-2000. Since 1994, she has been funded to track Medicaid PAS participants, services, and expenditures.

> There is no fee and no pre-registration for this webinar, which is open to everyone. An archive of this webinar will be available at a later date. > > To join the Webinar, please visit: > > http://www.tinyurl.com/PASElluminate> > It is recommended that you visit this link beforehand, as the Webinar software (Elluminate) needs to be downloaded to your computer, which can take a few minutes. > > First time user support is available at: http://www.elluminate.com/support/index.jsp> > This covers downloading and installing the required software and testing your connection.

> Free online training is available at: http://www.elluminate.com/support/training/> > The audio of the conference can also be accessed by phone at 1-800-625-5918, passcode 7023043. > > About the Presenter > > Charlene Harrington, Ph.D., RN, is Professor Emerita of Sociology, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF. Dr. Harrington is the PI for the PAS Center. One of the leading experts on PAS and HCBS, Dr. Harrington has guided numerous research studies on state long term care (LTC) policies and program characteristics since 1980. She has also conducted a large study of PAS and HCBS waivers in the states for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 1998-2000. Since 1994, she has been funded to track Medicaid PAS participants, services, and expenditures.

For four months the congressional "Super Committee" has been meeting behind closed doors to hash out ways to reduce the deficit.

A report in The New York Times yesterday suggests that the committee is close to recommending mandatory cuts to Social Security instead of tax increases for the richest one percent.1

No way we can let this happen. This is a rotten deal that we have to stop.

The committee issues their report to Congress in one week. We are collecting petition signatures that we will deliver this Friday. Our goal is to send a message that cuts to Social Security come with hell to pay from voters.

Click here to tell Congress to reject any new cuts to Social Security.

After you sign please take a minute to forward this email to friends, family, and co-workers so they know about the mandatory cuts that could be coming. Ask them to sign too.

We have seven days to put the brakes on the Super Committee's report and kill this proposal. Here is how a news story described the cuts recently:

"Just as 55 million Social Security recipients are about to get their first benefit increase in three years, Congress is looking at reducing future raises by adopting a new measure of inflation that also would increase taxes for most families. Those with low incomes would be hit hardest.

"If adopted across the government, the inflation measure would have widespread ramifications. Increases in veterans' benefits and pensions for federal workers and military personnel would be smaller. And over time, fewer people would qualify for Medicaid, Head Start, food stamps, school lunch programs and home heating assistance than under the current measure."2

Conservatives have never liked Social Security. Those monthly checks prove that government can be a force for good in the lives of Americans.

And let's be clear what the anti-tax stuff is all about—the rich and big companies don't want to pay their fair share. They've deployed their lobbyists to push for cuts to Social Security so they don't have to pay more in taxes.

We urgently need to send Congress a message that cuts to Social Security are OFF the table. Please sign and recruit other people to sign.

Beware the Trojan Horse: The attacks on Medicare, Medicaid and even Social Security are relentless. And instead of helping get Americans back to work, some in Congress are now trying to use tricks to dismantle these basic protections. The latest trick is a Trojan horse called a "Balanced Budget Amendment."

Changing the U.S. Constitution to include a balanced budget requirement would make it even harder fix the jobs crisis and would force deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

That's why I hope you'll take action and send a message to your representative right now as he/she consider this bill.

If the Super Committee fails to pass a deficit reduction bill, a number of budget cuts will automatically be triggered. These cuts, which include defense spending but spare Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits, are much less damaging that what's on the table.

All the Democrats need to do to save our social safety net is stand strong.

But according to recent reports, Democrats on the Super Committee have floated a proposal that would not only make deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, it would also pave the way for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to be made permanent. It's simply unconscionable.

Has Our Medicaid Buy-In Research Been Helpful? As part of AAPD's recent work with the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University we have been disseminating research-based information to our members. Now we need to know from you whether that information has been helpful. We would like to ask you to participate in an anonymous survey that can tell us that. Your participation is completely voluntary. Please take 10 minutes of your time, click on the link below, and help us complete this important survey.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is investigating employers' use of personality tests to screen job applicants as part of applications for employment and the broader hiring process. These tests may unfairly screen out qualified Autistic applicants and those with other hidden disabilities through the use of subjective questions unrelated to job performance.

If you live in the United States and have recently been turned down for a job that used personality tests as part of the application process, please contact Samantha Crane at samanthac@bazelon.org and Melody Latimer at mlatimer@autisticadvocacy.org. Please include the name of the employer, the approximate date on which you applied for the job and any additional information you feel may be relevant. Thank you,

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Oregon Looks to iPad to Make Voting Easier for People with Disabilities via OregonLive.com (11.07.11):

Oregon elections officials are turning to iPads in a new attempt to make voting as easy and accessible as possible for disabled voters. In a small pilot program playing out during the special primary election to replace former U.S. Rep. David Wu, about 12 voters have filled out their ballots on Apple's touch-screen tablet...

>>>For More

MODERATOR, Frankie Mastrangelo, JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

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DISCLAIMER: The JFA listserv is designed to share information of interest to people with disabilities and promote dialogue in the disability community. Information circulated does not necessarily express the views of AAPD. The JFA listserv is non-partisan.

JFA ARCHIVES: All JFA postings from 1995 through October 2007 are available on the AAPD website. Archives of news and other articles featured on JFA since October 2007 are available by category and date on the JFActivist blog.

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New Study Shows Seniors Save Thanks to the Affordable Care Act via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (11.04.11): So far this year, more than 2.2 million people with Medicare have saved more than $1.2 billion on their prescriptions, for an average of $550 per person, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today. And more than 22.6 million seniors and people with disabilities have taken advantage of at least one free Medicare preventive benefit, including the new Annual Wellness Visit made possible by the Affordable Care Act...

President Barack Obama is soliciting advice on disability issues from an actress with Down syndrome who has a regular role on Fox's "Glee."

Obama said he plans to appoint Lauren Potter, 21, to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She is well-known for playing cheerleader Becky Jackson on the hit television show "Glee."

The committee Potter will join is made up of 21 citizens and 13 federal representatives who are tasked with advising the president and the secretary of health and human services on issues pertaining to Americans with intellectual disabilities.

Tell the Catholic Bishops NO! Women need no-copay birth control!: Your action is urgently needed. Please tell President Barack Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius not to give in to demands from the Conference of Catholic Bishops that would expand the religious exemption and deny birth control coverage with no-copays for millions of women.

One of the most popular benefits of health care reform, the Affordable Care Act, is preventive care for women – requiring health insurers to cover birth control, mammograms, and PAP tests without any co-pays. Voters resoundingly support this benefit, including 77% of Catholic women.

Yet this benefit could be lost for millions of Americans and their families, and the decision will be made by the Obama administration in the next few days.